


boy in red

by mcustancm



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Harley Keener plays guitar, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, M/M, Music, Online Friendship, Online Relationship, Tumblr, girl in red AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:15:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24484939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcustancm/pseuds/mcustancm
Summary: Harley Keener was gifted a guitar for his thirteenth birthday. He played on that guitar every day. He started writing songs and posting them under the name Boy in Red.he also met his very best friend (and possible boyfriend) through his music.
Relationships: Harley Keener/Peter Parker
Comments: 6
Kudos: 86





	boy in red

**Author's Note:**

> hey everyone! whats up! I'm back with a girl in red AU.

It was a simple love story really. Harley was the queer musician and Peter was a fan of the small artist. Harley began playing guitar on his 13th birthday and never stopped. His mother gave him the guitar because he’d been hinting at it for months. He learned how to read music himself and started writing lyrics on every piece of paper in his sight. In class when he was ahead of everyone he’d take out his sticky notes and jot down some lyrics for a song he’d probably trash. None of his songs were expressing how he really felt about the world until one afternoon. 

He was almost 15 when a group of older kids came up to him. One of them started pushing him until another gave him a weggie “this is what you get for trying to fuck my little cousin” one of the boys said “fucking faggot” another one laughed before the three of them lifted Harley up and over into the dumpster behind the only middle school in Rose Hill, Tennessee. 

He managed to escape the dumpster easily without any cuts or bruises. The hardest part about that day was his thoughts on his way home. Of course he wasn’t trying to get with George’s little cousin. I mean for fuck's sake, Harley was two years older than the kid. But he couldn’t help but realize that he was feeling something for one of the boys in his classroom. And he couldn’t ignore it for any longer 

The moment Harley Keener got home he ran to his bedroom, not even seeing his sister and mom in the kitchen.  
“What’s his deal?” Abbie asked her mom once Harley flew by. “No idea” she responded.  
Harley ran to his small bedroom and picked up his guitar and started strumming out the cords he was working on. He added the lyrics that were close to his heart and kept playing the choirs over and over. 

He worked on that song the entire night until he finished the rough draft.  
In the morning he called up his sister to listen to the song.  
“That’s really good… but who is it about?” She asks while tilting her head in confusion.  
“Umm… some girl in my class.”  
“You said baby boy like 15 times,” Abbie said.  
“Fine… but you cannot tell anyone ever. It’s about a boy.” Harley said, shifting his weight slightly.  
“Oh? What’s his name?” Abbie giggled in Excitement.  
“Woah wait. You’re supposed to hate me.” Harley said.  
“Why? Harley, why would I hate you?”  
“I can name three reasons right now.” He started “I’m obviously gay, we live in a town of small-minded people, and I just wrote a song about being gay” Harley huffed and scoffed.  
“I don’t see why I would hate you” Abbie smiles “our town may be closed-minded but I will always love you, Harley,” she said before hugging him “Now sing your song again!”

Harley worked on his song day and night and applied for a Spotify account to post his bedroom made music. It took him only a few moments to think of his name.  
“Boy in red.” He said aloud while typing it in. His song was titled, Boys. It was about being in love with someone he knew he shouldn’t be. He smiled as Spotify allowed him to upload the song. He didn’t dare promote it on any of his social media though. The kids at school followed him and he didn’t want them to find out what he was feeling for the boy in his class.

Almost two months later he got his first 100 listens on the song. He was ecstatic and confused when his sister threw him a party “congrats Boy in Red!” The sign read. Harley smiled and hugged his younger sister. “Think it’s time for a new song?” Abbie asks, beaming at her older brother.  
“Yes!”

Peter was one of Boy in Red’s earliest fans. He loved every song that the guy posted on Spotify. No one knew his name or what he looked like. But his Tumblr was on his Spotify page. It took Peter 2 months to text Boy in Red.

‘Hello! I’m a huge fan of your song Boys as I just wanted to say thank you’ 

‘thanks!’  
‘Oh wow! You responded!’ Peter responded excitedly.  
‘your the only fan who has messaged me’  
‘Really? Well I love your song! How’d you even get the idea for it?’  
‘‘i was in love with a boy in my class but i live in a small close-minded town. only my sister accepts me because i haven’t told anyone else.  
‘Oh I’m sorry to hear that’  
‘eh you win some and lose some’

Harley spoke to the unnamed boy and talked about his song ideas with him too.

Peter would never admit that he was falling in love with the mysterious Boy in Red, but he definitely was. His friends would tease him about his little crush.  
“He’s a singer-songwriter who has two songs on the internet. I have a chance!” Peter said when he sat down at the lunch table.  
“What if he becomes famous? And his identity gets compromised and he never talks to you again?” MJ states.  
“Damn…” Ned shrugged and ate his pizza.  
“That won’t happen. Boy in Red and I are close and he won’t ditch me.”  
“You sound like a horny 12-year-old.” MJ says before opening her book again. Peter buffs and starts to work on his science homework. 

“You don’t know his name, Harley! You can’t possibly be in love with him!” Abbie tells him one night after Harley had been ranting to her about him.  
“I’m not saying I do!”  
“You sure are acting like it.” He says with sass. “how’s the song coming?” She asks.  
“I finished it and now I’m just working on perfecting it.”  
“Play it.” She smiled sitting down on the bed. 

‘I heard that you landed an interview! Are you gonna reveal yourself?’ Peter texted Boy in Red.  
‘it’s not safe for me to do that so I’m just gonna do a call-in interview. r u gonna watch it?’ Harley asked the mystery boy.  
‘Yup! I can’t wait!’ 

It didn’t take long after the interview for Harley to become a worldwide sensation for LGBT teens everywhere. He never did stop texting his mystery boy even after he did finally reveal himself. Harley felt that it was time since he had thousands upon thousands of streams on his songs daily, and he was finally able to get himself out of Tennessee. It had been three years since he started posting his songs to Spotify 

He moved to New York and began working with Spotify’s studios directly. He was happy that his music career was growing but he still felt like a part of him was empty.

‘hey pete! I moved to new york and I thought that maybe  
you’d want to meet up finally?’  
‘How did you know that I lived in NYC? Did u stalk my twitter?’  
‘not important, coffee at 3 at the  
Peter laughed at the message and sent a short reply. He felt butterflies in his stomach when he pressed send. He was nervous to meet the now famous in the lgbt community singer. He’s been in love with Harley for a year now.

“You must be… Peter!” Harley said, sitting in front of the brown-haired boy in the coffee shop.  
“Oh my god! Harley!” He smiled and hugged the other man. “I’m so happy to meet you!” Peter said with pure excitement. Harley couldn’t help but blush.  
“Same,” he nods. “So tell more about yourself,” Harley tells him, gesturing to him.  
“I’ve told you pretty much everything. I was struggling with my sexuality right around the time you started making and producing music. And it helped me.”  
Harley smiled, he liked these compliments from people but he wanted to know Peter, not what his music did for him.  
“Peter?”  
“Yeah?”  
“I’ve heard this story a thousand times.” He smirked “tell me something I don’t know”  
“Right, sorry” he chuckles. “I graduated from a super science high school this past June. I’m attending Columbia college in August. I live with my aunt and my best friend’s name is Ned.”  
“See! Now I know more.”  
“You knew most of that.” Peter laughed.  
“Yeah but not all of it.” Harley shrugged, sipping his latte. “Most of myself is shared through my songs but what some people don’t know cause I really haven’t talked about it is I met Ironman when I was eleven years old.”  
“Seriously?” Peter said shocked. “That’s something we have in common.” He smiled.  
“You met him too?” Harley asked him. He was enjoying their conversation more than he’s ever enjoyed a conversation ever. 

They spoke for hours and Harley walked Peter back to his apartment. Peter looked at him for a moment. “I’m gonna kiss you now if that’s okay.”  
Harley hesitated for a moment before he nodded and rested his own hand on the back of Peter’s head. Peter stared into Harley’s blue eyes and smiled before kissing him. Harley quickly kissed him back, their lips moving is a sort of beautiful dance.  
“Well, Boy in Red. That was long-awaited.” Peter said in his own smug way.  
“Shut up and let me kiss you again,” Harley muttered before turning his head to kiss Peter again. Peter broke apart from him. “Good night, Boy in Red.” Harley chuckles and waved goodbye to Peter Parker. 

Harley caught a cab to go straight back to his own apartment. He grabbed his guitar and a note pad and began strumming out some cords. He wrote lyrics that were true to his heart and finished the rough draft of the song. 

The song was titled “I found my boy in blue”.

**Author's Note:**

> Join the parkner server!  
> https://discord.gg/W5wfADe
> 
> Talk to me!  
> tumblr basically-harley-keener  
> my Instagrams are samantha_sydneyy and sam.edxts._


End file.
